1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an data storage systems. In particular, the invention relates to automatic libraries for cartridges of data storage tapes.
2. Related Art
In order to store large quantities of data, increasingly data storage tapes, in particular magnetic tapes, are used, which are accommodated in cartridges. A significant increase of the storage capacity is obtained through automatic libraries which can contain a multiplicity of cartridges. Such automatic libraries are available on the market in various construction types under the designation “tape library”, “tape cartridge library” or “tape cartridge autoloader”.
An automatic library of the above cited species is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,258, which discloses a library containing a multiplicity of cartridges in a magazine which is referred to as “carousel”. The cartridges which have the form of a flat right parallelepiped are disposed on end, substantially radially in the magazine. In the interior of the magazine are disposed two tape cartridge drives for the cartridges, whose cartridge pocket is correspondingly disposed on end. The magazine is disposed on a rotary table which can be driven and positioned in order to position in each instance a selected cartridge in front of the cartridge pocket of the drive, such that the associated cartridge can be changed from the magazine into the drive or from the drive into the magazine. Through a port (mail slot), implemented as an upright slot, the cartridges can be introduced from the outside into the magazine or can be removed from the magazine.
The disposition of the drive within the revolving magazine results in a compact structure of the device. The height of the device which is determined by the height of the cartridges positioned on end and the drive of the rotary table, however, is a disadvantage in such cases of application in which only a small vertical space is available.